The Release
by ljp
Summary: Padma Patil has detention with her evil potions master. She's had a crush on him for years...what will happen?
1. 1

**_The Release_**

Written by **_LJP_**

**Summary:** Padma Patil has always been the silent twin, never noticed in the shadow of her boisterous, popular Gryffindor sister.  The Ravenclaw has, for years, been drawn to the mystery and intrigue of her evil Potions Master.  What will happen when Padma is stuck deep in the dungeons with none other than Vampire!Snape for detention?

**Author's Notes:** This stemmed off of an IM role-play session in which Padma had detention with Snape for explicit conduct on a library table with Draco Malfoy.  However, halfway through, we decided to have fun with it and, while continuing to RP it, make a fanfiction out of it.  In turn, we created this … raunchy … tail of lust and sex.

**Additional Disclaimer Besides "JKR owns all!":** Any mention of Dr. McKarrick (Tyrie) or Kaya belong to Kira, who plays both characters in the Lost Diary RP on ujournal.  Also, the premise for the fanfiction (ie. Vampire!Snape and InDetention!Padma) came about through that RP as well.  I personally take no credit for any of that – only Padma's personality, since JKR has found no need to develop her minor characters.  Bah.

**Pairing:** Severus Snape/Padma Patil – yes, a strange pairing, ain't it?

**Keywords:** Snape, Padma, detention, lust, vampire

**Rating:** R for sexual situations – many sexual situations

---

            Professor Severus Snape sat at his desk, glancing through a book of Edgar Allen Poe's works.  He sighed as he read over a passage for the second time, waiting surprisingly patiently for Padma Patil to show up for detention.  The Ravenclaw sixth year had never had a detention with him before, and he off-handedly wondered why she had done what she had done to warrant one then.  He shook it off and returned to the book, moving on to another passage rather than repeating the other for a third time.

            The heels of Padma Patil's Mary Janes clicked as she walked along the stone corridor to the Potions classroom.  She knocked on the heavy oak door timidly.  "Professor Snape?"

            He didn't look up.  "Come in."

            Padma took a deep breath and stepped inside.  "Good evening, Professor," she said, her right hand playing with the material of her robe as it hung at her side.  She dropped her bag into the seat next to her.

            The Potions Master raised an eyebrow, still not looking up at her from his reading.  "Good evening…"

            She swallowed hard and took a few steps forward to approach him at his desk.  "I'm here for my detention, sir," she said, involuntarily shuddering at the temperature in the dank classroom.

            He slammed the book shut.  "Yes…that," he stated, standing suddenly in a swirl of black robes.  "Follow me."

            "Yes sir," Padma smiled weakly, turning to do as he commanded.

            Professor Snape headed toward the classroom's storage closet, which was housed in the far right-hand corner, behind his desk.  He opened the door and gestured for his student to enter.  The closet was large – large enough to walk into, and the shelves inside it were overflowing with bottles and cauldrons and vials of liquids of every color. 

            "Miss Patil, I would like you to put the potions on the left hand wall in alphabetical order. If you complete that task, move on to the potions ingredients on the right wall," he instructed sourly.  "Do you have any questions in regards to your task?"

            Padma shook her head.  "Uh…no sir," she said, moving to the left hand wall and examining the bottles.  She looked back at her professor.  "Sir, what do I do with the unlabeled ones?"

            He smirked at her.  "You are a sixth year student, Miss Patil. I am sure that you can identify them by sight or smell."

            She opened her mouth to speak again but, thinking better of it, closed it again.  She nodded.  "Of course, sir."  

            Slowly and carefully, Padma began pulling bottles from the shelves, beginning to already put them into some sort of order.  Professor Snape stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest.  The Ravenclaw sighed.  "Professor, are you going to stand there glowering at me all evening?  It's quite disconcerting."

            Snape blinked, having not realized that he was doing so.  "No," he said.  "Carry on."  He turned away abruptly and stalked over to his desk, pulling out his chair so that he may still keep an eye on her.  He made sure, however, that he was just far enough away that he didn't have to be mesmerized by the beating of her pulse.

            Padma let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding and turned back to the shelf in front of her, blushing.  With her hands on her hips, Padma scanned the line of shelves, thinking of the best way to go about rearranging it all.  Finally, she settled on the top shelf to start with and reached up to it.  Her 5'3" frame, however, was not tall enough to make it.  "Eh, Professor?" she called out.  "Do you have a stool?"

            He looked up from his desk, nodding.  Then, he stood up, grabbed a small stool that had been collecting dust in the corner of the room, and set it down in the doorway of the storage closet.  He returned to his desk.

            "Thanks," Padma muttered as she sauntered over to the stool and picking it up.  She spun around and went back to the shelf, setting it down again.  She made a face at the shelves in front of her for a split second before stepping up onto the stool and stretching to reach the top shelf.  "Merlin," she sighed, stretching as high as she could.  She wrapped her hand around one of the bottles and pulled it down, setting it next to another unlabeled one.  

            After a few minutes she had rearranged half of the top shelf, which was covered with mostly unlabeled bottles.  Still, there was one vial back against the wall left.  She reached as far back as she could, using the lower shelves for support.  As soon as her fingers grasped the potion, however, she lost her balance, tumbling backward and landing on the floor with a thud.  She sighed with relief, realizing the potion was still intact and in her hand.

            Snape stood up, peering into the closet.  "Miss Patil...do you require assistance?"

            She was still on the floor when he walked into the closet.  She also had her eyes closed.  "Just had a bit of a fall Professor," she said through clenched teeth.  "I can't seem to reach the top shelf."  She set the glass vial on the ground next to her.

            "Are you quite sure that you are not hurt?"

            Padma sighed.  "I don't know.  I haven't tried to stand up yet."

            Snape walked over to her, couching down, low to the ground.  He muttered something that sounded remarkably like "Merlin save me" under his breath.  Then, he looked at her.  "Well do you feel any pain at the moment?"

            Padma, shuddering a little at her professor's proximity, shook her head.  "Uh – uh – no, not really. I think I was just stunned a bit."  

            Snape frowned.  "Do you require assistance to stand?"

            She shook her head frantically.  "Uh – no.  No Professor...I think I'll be alright."  She propped herself up on her elbows and then pushed herself to her feet.  Unfortunately, she forgot the glass vial sitting on the ground next to her, and she kicked it over, breaking it.  "Damn!" she cursed, bending over to pick up the pieces.  I'm sorry Professor.  I didn't mean –" A piece of glass sliced open her palm.  "Ow!"

            Snape balked, his dark eyes glued to Padma's bleeding hand.  He blinked.

            "Professor?"

            He swallowed, still staring at her hand hungrily.  He didn't answer.

            "Are you okay?" she continued.  "You look…strange."

            Snape took a step toward her.  When he spoke, his voice sounded hollow.  "Why do you say that?"

            "I don't know," she said, backing up and pressing down on her palm to try to stop the bleeding.  "Do you have a towel or anything?"  Padma's eyes were wide.

            Snape smiled at her – a small, evil smile.  "I am sure that I can find something for you..."

            Padma was still backing up, and before long she found herself smacking right into the shelf behind her, almost knocking its contents over.  Snape jumped slightly at the noise, but he turned back to look at her.  "How careless, Miss Patil."

            "I'm sorry Professor," she said, looking at the door and growing more scared by the moment.  "Did you say there's a towel out in the classroom?" she asked suddenly, seizing the moment to dart past him and toward the door.

            Snape turned to look after her, but he didn't follow.  He was hungry, yes; he hadn't found a decent supply of blood in at least a week, but he wasn't quite hungry enough to advance on Padma…yet.

            "Is there a towel out here somewhere?" she called out.  Snape could hear her shuffling through his desk drawers.  "I'm losing a lot of blood…"

            He nodded to himself.  Snape could smell the blood oozing from Padma's hand, and he could hear her pulse beating, louder now that she was scared.  "Perhaps I can do something for you," he said, almost gliding over to his desk and opening the center drawer, which she had just been about to reach for.

            Padma let out a breath, smiling weakly.  "Thank you."

            Instead of pulling a towel or rag out of the drawer, however, he removed from it his wand.  He took a step forward.  Padma sucked in a breath, taking a step backward.  He advanced again, to compensate.  She stared at him.  "Let me see the cut on your hand," he offered gently, holding out his own to her.

            Padma was shivering slightly, but she extended her arm nonetheless, removing her, now blood covered, uninjured hand.

            Snape took her hand in his.  His eyes glazed over at the smell of the blood pulsating slowly out of her palm.  It dripped luxuriously down to her wrist.  He licked his lips as if in a trance.

            "Professor...?" Padma squeaked.

            Somewhere in the back of Snape's mind, a voice was telling him that he could not lick the blood off of a student's hand and arm and then proceed to bite her and drain her body of the rest of the blood.  "Yesssss...?"

            "Are you okay...?" she asked, trying to pull her hand away.

            Snape blinked again, realizing how strange and creepy he must be acting.  He released her hand and backed away slowly.  "I…I am fine."

            "Are you sure?"

            He hissed at her.  "Yes, I am sure."

            Padma nodded, not entirely believing her professor.  Something was wrong with him, and she was concerned, though she didn't really know why.  "Do you have that towel?" she asked.  She frowned and tapped her foot impatiently, tilting her head to the side, her hair falling away from her neck, exposing the skin.

            Snape's eyes were drawn to the vein in her neck.  "Oh...towel...yes," he stumbled, his breathing a little bit more labored than normal.  "Of course…"

            "You sure you're okay?" Padma stepped toward him.  "You don't look it."

            She reached out a bit toward him, but Snape moaned slightly and stumbled backward.  Padma froze.  Snape, shaking his head, began to speak.  "You…you can perform a simple healing spell, right?"

            She swallowed.  "Uh – no, not really."

            "Well, why not?" he snapped at her suddenly.

            "Uh…I just could never master them, sir," she stumbled over her words, her face paling slightly.

            Snape bit his lip, and upon doing so, revealed a small bit of his fangs.  Padma just stared at his mouth, biting back a yelp.  He frowned at her, saying, "What?"

            She sucked in a deep breath, unable to move.  "You have…um…never mind."  Padma was practically paralyzed with fear and surprise, horrified to find that her feet didn't want to move.  

            He hissed at her, struggling to regain his concentration.  "I have what, Miss Patil?"

            "Um," she stuttered.  "Fangs, sir.  Your incisors are…" her eyes widened even more, her face losing almost two shades.

            As he watched Padma try in vain to turn and run away, Snape realized that there was only one thing left to do.  Pocketing his wand, he grabbed for her wrist suddenly, digging his nails into her skin.  Padma gave a small yelp and struggled to pull away.  Snape clasped the back of her neck with his other hand and sneered, his fangs clearly visible.  She struggled to look away, but he had too great a hold on her.

            "It doesn't always pay to be so nosy," he snarled.

            Snape leaned forward slightly, his mouth inches away from Padma's hand, which was clenched in one of his own, the blood dripping everywhere.  Quickly, he closed his mouth over the cut, sucking as much blood from it as he could.

            She gave a sharp intake of breath, unable to take her eyes off of him.  "Professor," she objected, quietly.  He either didn't hear her or didn't choose to acknowledge her.

            Snape ripped his mouth away from her palm and looked at her.  His dark eyes were slightly glazed over, and the look he gave her was that of a predator closing in on its prey.  He paused for only a moment, and then clamped down on Padma's exposed neck with his fangs, sucking hard.      

            Padma's eyes closed involuntarily, and she tilted her head neck back, almost to give him better access.  She moaned softly, almost seeming to enjoy it.  Snape didn't answer.  He seemed to be out of his mind, not even realizing that Padma was no longer putting up a fight.  At the moment, he rather enjoyed having a willing victim.  She let out a small sigh.  

            Suddenly, she realized what exactly was happening, and she pulled away.  "You're not…" she took a deep breath, trying to focus on her words.  "…going to kill me, are you?"

            The Potions Master pulled away just slightly as if deciding on how to answer her question, but his vampire instinct – that almost animalistic behavior that comes with receiving the curse – had taken over.  

            "Professor?"  Padma squeaked, breathing heavily.  Part of her was scared, but another part of her took some perverse pleasure in the feel of him at her neck.  Though Padma would never admit it aloud, she had always had a crush on her evil Potions professor.  Sure, he was strict, solemn, and an overall greasy-haired git, but Padma had always held some kind of respect for him.  He was an intelligent man, and he knew what he was talking about.  And sometimes, Padma felt as though she could just sit in class listening to his deep, rolling baritone for hours.  Now – now all she could think about was the fact that his mouth was attached to her neck, despite the fact that the pain from his bite was immense.

            When it didn't feel as though he'd be relinquishing his hold on her any time soon, Padma began to go into shock.  It hit her that she was losing mass amounts of blood, and she began to feel faint.  

            Putting all of her strength into pushing him away, she began to protest again.  "Professor, please!"

            But Snape wasn't paying any attention.  He was used to his victims protesting and struggling, and he almost took comfort in the fact that she was beginning to show signs of doing so as well.

            Padma begin to lose feeling in parts of her body.  She grew tired and weary, and she couldn't seem to think straight anymore.  "Professor...I...oh Merlin," she sighed, closing her eyes again.  "Severus...may I call you Severus?"  Somehow, it seemed appropriate considering the intimacy of their embrace, even though it wasn't exactly what could be called romantic or even lustful in any way.  "I mean –" she jumped a bit as he began to suck harder, drawing even more blood from her body.

            She felt faint, and stumbled backward against the desk, letting out a moan.  She tried to push him away but found that she couldn't muster up enough strength to do it.

            Snape wrenched Padma up against him, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her.  She groaned softly, her eyes lulling shut as her legs began to give way beneath her.  He finally released her neck from his bite.  He had to keep an arm draped around her waist, however, to keep her from crumpling to the floor.

            The Potions Master looked down at his student, panting slightly.  Her face had almost entirely drained of its color; her normally rosy cheeks now several shades whiter.  He glanced down at his own skin, which color had returned to, and            the realization and impact of what he had just done fell upon him.


	2. 2

**Author's Warning:** This chapter contains sexual situations – though I wouldn't categorize them as overly explicit.  You've been warned

---

            Snape stared down at the practically limp form of Padma.  Her skin was pale, and her lips were just a shade of pink above white themselves.  Her long, dark red hair was mussed, pieces of it plastered to the sides of her face.  Her eyes were closed, but he knew if they were open, the color in them would be gone, and instead they would have taken on a glassy, glazed look.  Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small drop of blood trickle down from the still open wound on her neck.

            Rather than lick it off, satisfying his own, now diminishing thirst, he realized that he still had time.  Lifting her up into his arms, Snape set Padma onto his desk.  Then, he turned and hurried into the storage closet.  He located the potion he was looking for quickly, though it was still buried deep among the unlabelled vials.  Hurrying back to the desk, he hoped to find the Ravenclaw still half conscious.

            His face a mask of emotionlessness, as usual, Snape walked over to the desk and propped Padma's head up with one of his hands.  With the other, he opened the vial.  "If you wish to live, open your mouth," he commanded.

            Padma moaned softly, moving her head slightly, her eyes remaining closed.  Her lips parted just a little, but it was enough for her professor.

            "Swallow this," he instructed, pouring a few drops of the potion into her mouth.  He knew he had to wait to see if she could swallow on her own before continuing.  Otherwise, he feared he may have to inject her with it.

            Padma managed to get some of it down, choking on it.  She coughed and tried to sit up.  Doing so, she caught a whiff of the potion and made a face.  

            Snape laid a hand on her shoulder to steady her.  "You must drink more," he said, offering the vial to her once again.  She opened her eyes.  His gaze met hers, and her eyes widened, but she nodded, leaning forward to drink more of the potion.  He gave her the rest of the liquid.  "Your body ought to regenerate rather quickly, and you should be fine in an hour or so."

            Padma nodded.  "I – I'm sorry, sir," she said, her voice throaty and hoarse yet.

            He frowned at her.  "Sorry?" he wondered.  "You little fool.  I could have killed you.  And you are sorry?" Snape wanted to laugh at her.

            "I – I should have left – If I had known…"

            He sneered.  "If you had known – if anyone knew, then I would be thrown out of here.  Dumbledore would be forced to," he frowned again.  "For the good of his students."

            She shook her head.  "But you're…you're the most brilliant man and…I mean…" Padma swallowed hard, moaning.  She was still very dreary and a bit disoriented.

            He raised a suspicious eyebrow, not entirely sure as to what possessed his student to call him 'brilliant.'  "I am, as I am sure you now are well aware, a vampire.  Not safe.  A dark…creature."

            "Like Professor Lupin…but…" she struggled to find the right words.  "What's to happen to me now…?

            "Your body will regenerate on its own. You will be perfectly fine," he explained.  "Except for one thing."

            Padma let out a small, short gasp, preparing herself for the worst.  "Oh?"

            "You will not remember any of this."

            It took a second to register in Padma's mind, but when it did, her jaw dropped.  "What?!" she exclaimed, pushing herself up onto her elbows.  That was an intrusion into her mind; a betrayal of trust.

            Snape crossed his arms over his chest.  "I cannot allow anyone to know of my...slip up.  There is a memory erasing element in that potion you drank as well as a blood regenerator.  Within ten minutes, you will not remember what transpired here tonight."  

            Padma furrowed her brow in confusion, searching her mind and separating all the thoughts jumbled in it.  "But Professor, I…" she began.  Then, a thought struck her and she stopped.  "How far back won't I remember?  And when will I start to forget ...?"

            "You will not remember any of my being a vampire.  And perhaps a bit of your detention will be otherwise foggy."

            She nodded, seeming to settle into some kind of deep thought for a moment.  Thoughts of pleasure and emotion flashed before her as she recalled the sensations of having his mouth on her neck.  "Alright...then, maybe you won't care if..." she struggled to sit up, reaching out to her professor.  Something was urging her forward, forcing her to say and do things she hadn't ever planned on.  "I mean, if I don't remember it, there shouldn't be any problem if..."

            He frowned.  "If what?"

            Suddenly, Padma grabbed at the front of his robes, pulling his mouth down to hers.  She moved her lips against his, using his surprise to her advantage.  

            Snape was quite alarmed, his eyes bugging out.  He reached down and pushed Padma away, weirdly enough being gentle about it.  "Miss Patil, I did not say that I would forget this," he said.  "And I am a married man. As well as old enough to be your father."

            She shook her head frantically, not knowing entirely what possessed her.  "I don't care. I've wanted to do that for forever," she admitted, breathing heavily.  Then, she pulled him down again, kissing him as hard as she could.

            The Potions Master pushed her away again.  "Miss Patil!" he held up his right hand, pointing to the wedding band on the fourth finger. 

            "I said I don't care," she stressed.  "I won't remember any of it, and at least I can cherish it while it lasts."

            With her hand firmly grasping the front of his robes, Padma pulled her professor down on top of her on the desk.  Snape was growing more and more confused and even slightly horrified by everything that was happening.  Because of his shock, however, he found himself unable to do anything about the current situation except allow it to happen.

            Padma tore her mouth away from Snape's and planted it against his neck.  She moaned and began working at the buttons lining the front of his shirt.  When she felt him begin to tense and pull away, she pulled his mouth back down again, capturing his lips with hers.  She wrapped one arm around his neck in an attempt to pull him even closer.  She sighed against his lips.

            He was still not sure what would be the most appropriate course of action in this case.  At the moment, he was just letting Padma get her way, a bit shocked that such an attractive, young girl was showing any interest in him at all.

            She pulled away just a bit, but she was still close enough that their breathing mingled with each others'.  "Well?" she swallowed, kissing him again.

            Snape blushed all of the blood he had just drained from her as their lips parted again.  "I…um…" he looked down at her, finding her staring back up at him through half-lidded eyes.  Padma pushed his robes off.

            She looked at him, now sans robes.  He was dressed in a pair of slightly fitted black slacks and a black high collared shirt that Padma had already managed to have undone the three top buttons.  She leaned forward and kissed his neck again, one of her hands tangling itself in his long hair.

            When Snape let out an involuntary moan, Padma smiled to herself.  She pulled her mouth away from his neck long enough to reach up and around to his ear.  "So, who bit you?" she asked, moving then to replace her mouth on his neck, silently wishing for something more from her professor than just a heavy body on top of her.

            He blinked.  Suddenly, as if remembering who did bite him, he pushed Padma away just a bit.  "Tyrie."

            She stopped.  "Who?  
            "Dr. McKarrick," he frowned.  "My wife."

            Padma sighed, realization setting it.  "Oh," she said, but still she leaned up and kissed him again.  She didn't really acknowledge within herself what she was doing, other than the fact that she was enjoying it immensely.  

            Snape pried his mouth away from hers and tried to stand up.  Instead of getting to his feet, though, he lost his balance and began to fall forward.  In an effort to keep himself from falling on top of his student yet again, he put his hand out to brace himself.  It found itself, however, directly on top of Padma's breast.  He blushed furiously.

            Padma let out a whimper.

            Snape balked at her moan, realizing that he hadn't yet removed his hand.  At the same time, he hoped his own body wasn't betraying him.

            "Professor…I…" she looked up at him, reaching for the rest of the buttons on his dark shirt.  She opened them slowly, deliberating taking her time until the bare skin of his chest could be seen.  Padma shuddered and laid her palms flush against the skin.

            Snape finally removed his own hand from her breast, wondering off-handedly how possible it was to do a memory charm on one's self.  He didn't need to live with the image of himself stretched out on top of one of his more attractive students.  "Yes…?" he asked his voice more husky than usual.

            Her dark eyes met his.  "Can you kiss me?" she asked of him softly.

            Her professor didn't answer.  Instead, wondering what the hell he was thinking, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers gently and quickly.  Padma sighed against him, an arm wrapping around his back to keep him from pulling away.

            "How much time do I have left?"

            Snape let out a small gasp.  "About…ten or fifteen minutes…it seems to not be working as quickly as it should…perhaps my calculations were incorrect."

            "Merlin," she breathed, kissing him again.  This time, her hands slid up to push his shirt over his shoulders.  "I don't know what's come over me," she continued, her mouth against his.  It felt almost as though she no longer had any control over her own body.

            "You're not the one who is half naked," he muttered, refraining from adding 'and allowing a student to take advantage of him and also married.'

            She shook her head.  "No, I'm not usually this," she kissed him again, quickly.  "Forward."  Padma struggled to pull her tie away from her throat, suddenly very hot.

            The Potions Master placed a hand gently on top of hers.  "Padm – Miss Patil.  You…will not remember this, but…nonetheless, I would feel guilty."

            She sighed.  "Yes, of course.  I'm sorry.  How very foolish and childish of me."

            Snape shook his head, not wanting to upset her.  "No," he said gruffly.  "You are not a child.  I know that.  But, I do not wish to take advantage of you," he paused for a second, choosing his words carefully.  "Admittedly, the thought is rather tempting.  I am not entirely without emotion and desire."

            She looked at him strangely, as if absorbing his admission.  Then, abruptly, she changed the subject.  "Sir, am I supposed to feel foggy or anything – with this potion and all?  What are the side effects exactly?

            He frowned.  "I do not know."

            Padma also frowned.

            Snape turned away from her.  "If you feel as though you are losing your short term memory, perhaps it would be best if you left...or sat up...or at least allowed me to put my shirt back on..."

            "That's the thing professor – I feel no different," she admitted, reaching up to touch his chest again.

            "I do not wish to have you suddenly lose your memories, only to find yourself on my desk, removing my shirt. I fear it would be most traumatizing."

            Padma giggled.  "Somehow, I doubt it," she let out a small sigh.  "But, kiss me again, like you mean it, and that'll be all.  Please," she urged.  "Allow me this one last thing before – before I forget everything."

            She moved slightly underneath him, stirring some feelings within them both.

            Snape's usually stoic face fell into a frown.  He gave Padma an almost sad sort of look and leaned forward, taking her lips between his and kissing her forcefully.  He was still amazed that a girl such as this could ever desire him.  She moaned into the kiss, smiling against his lips and running one of her hands over his bare chest.  Her free hand slipped behind his neck and entangled itself in his hair.  A voice in the far corner of her mind noted how silky it felt – not greasy as many people assumed.

            The Potions Master let his desires get the better of him again.  He drew Padma close against him forcefully by placing one hand on the small of her back.  She moaned again, her eyes slipped shut.  Her lower hand trailed down across his chest and slipped to his belt buckle while the other was still caught in his hair.  

            Snape let out a throaty groan, nipping at her lower lip gently, being careful not to piece the sensitive skin with his fangs.  With her hand pulling at the silver belt buckle, Padma smiled into Snape's kiss, opening her mouth and drawing him against herself for more.

            Not entirely sure of what he was doing in his lust-addled semi-consciousness, Snape found it suddenly unfair that Padma was still fully clothed.  With the hand not occupied with pressing her against him, he pushed her robes off her shoulders.  Padma removed the hand from his belt and reached up to help push the robes away.  She moved her mouth to the base of his throat, kissing and sucking at the pale skin there.

            He wondered how a sixth year student could have gotten so good at this, possibly even better than his own wife, but he pushed the thoughts away and concentrated on pressing closer against him.  Another part of him hoped Padma wasn't entirely disturbed by what she, at this point in time, must feel pressed up against her abdomen.  He let out a soft groan.

            Padma trailed kisses down his chest, leaving behind a trail of moisture from her mouth.  Her hand had returned to his belt, struggling to unclasp it hurriedly.  Snape quickly got fed up with her fumbling at the edge of his slacks, and he unfastened it himself.

            Padma smiled.  "That's more like it," she said as he discarded the belt next to the desk.  She slipped her hand into his pants, feeling the silky texture of his boxers beneath her fingers.  He shuddered involuntarily at the thought of her hand having moved so low.  She kissed him again.  When she brushed against him softly, his eyes flew open, and he left out a short gasp.  He felt his legs begin to buckle.

            Padma opened her eyes and looked at him.  "I'm sorry," she stumbled over her words.  "I got a little carried away there…" she pulled her hand away, her face reddening significantly.  "Plus, that potion should be taking effect soon, eh?"

            Snape wanted to yell at her for stopping, but he sagged his shoulders when his honorable side took over.  He coughed.  "Yes, I suppose so," he said, shaking a bit.  He wondered suddenly if perhaps the girl had merely been toying with him the entire time.  Maybe her desire had not been sincere.

            Padma reached up and touched his cheek, cupping it in her palm.  She leaned forward to close the distance between them and kissed him softly.  "Thank you, Professor."     

            The Ravenclaw let out a soft sigh, secretly wishing Snape would forget the consequences and tell her to keep going.  Especially since she found herself very unfairly still clothed.

            He gave her a stiff nod, almost wishing that she were not going to lose her memory.  He also half-wished that he would be able to sit through class without feeling the want and desire this night had with it.  However, he began to think that he'd have to do a memory charm on himself, if only to make it through the next two school terms.

            "Are you feeling the effects of the potion?"

            She shrugged.  "Not at all," she answered, her brow furrowing in thought.  "What potion did you give me?" she allowed a hand to rest against his bare chest.

            Snape swallowed before answering.  "A combination of two.  One that I did not create that regenerates the blood, and the other is merely a short-term memory potion.  It has a small amount of nightshade, as well as a bit of cannabis and a handful of other ingredients in it."

            Her eyes widened.  "What shelf was it on?"  
            "The top shelf. Why?"

            Padma let out a small gasp of surprise.  "I – I moved most of the top shelf around before I fell – to alphabetize them.  A few of the unlabeled ones I pushed off to the side," she explained, purposefully leaving out the fact that she could distinctly recall the smell of that particular potion, and it had contained no trace of neither cannabis nor nightshade.  "What other potions were there?"

            Snape was horrified.  "More of the same, though without the memory charm," he was very, very horrified.

            Padma blushed, tensing immediately.  "I'm sorry, sir.  I – I never would have…" she continued on, her cheeks reddening quite a bit.  "Oh, Merlin."

            "Bloody hell."

            Snape lifted himself from the desk and collapsed into his chair, either not noticing or not caring that he was half naked.

            Padma closed her eyes, breathing heavily.  Then, she sat up and pulled her tie from around her neck.  It had become very restricting in a very short amount of time.  After unbuttoning the top two buttons of her blouse to cool down, she buried her face in her hands.

            Snape did the same.  "Oh, Merlin.  Perhaps – perhaps I did grab the correct one," he whispered, almost hopeful.

            She shook her head, biting her lip.  "You said it would take effect within ten minutes," she said, glancing down at her watch.  "It's been much longer than that, sir.  Plus, I think I would have felt some kind of side effect by now," she refrained from adding the intense feeling of arousal and lust.  She peeked over at him, still gnawing on her lower lip, her gaze drifting to his unbuckled pants.

            "Malfoy will be here soon."

            She looked up at him.  "What?!"

            "He has detention after you," he explained, before continuing, hurriedly.  "What time is it?"

            She laughed ironically.  "Well, you could always ask him to join us," she muttered.  Then, "A few minutes past eight."

            He shuddered, growing a tad angry.  "Under the circumstances, I do not find that comment amusing at all."

            She looked down at her hands.  "I'm sorry.

            "Never mind.  We have a few minutes.  Close the door."

            Padma hopped off the desk, walking quickly to the door and pushing it shut, slightly horrified that it had been open this entire time.  "A few minutes for what…?" she added her voice hopeful.

            "To either pull ourselves together," he paused, smirking. "Or think of a Malfoy-repelling charm.  Though I must say the first is more plausible."

            "Wouldn't a simply locking ward do the trick...?  Or one of those repelling charms that would make him remember something he forgot ...?" she walked over to him and stood directly in front of him.  "Or what about a note saying you cancelled ...?"

            "I plan on canceling anyway," he sighed.

            "Well then," Padma breathed, stepping closer to him, almost involuntarily.

            Snape was quite shaken by all of this, and he stared at her, dumbfounded.  "Well then, what?"

            She fought back the urge to roll her eyes as she climbed into her professor's lap, straddling him.  Then, with hands on either side of his face, she pulled his lips to hers.

            Snape put a hand out, pushing her from his mouth.  "Surely you cannot be serious."

            Her shoulders slumped a bit, and she pouted out her lower lip.  "Why not?"

            The usually articulate Potions Master found he was unable to form a coherent sentence.  "Professor – student – indecent – I – I would be taking advantage of you."

            "I have no objections, Professor.  If anything, I'd be taking advantage of you," she said, knowing fully well that was precisely what, under these particular circumstances, she was doing.  She leaned forward and sucked on the skin of his neck, one of her hands trailing down his chest.

            He unexpectedly had the strangest urge for her to stop calling him 'professor.'  At least then if would make him feel less of a child molester.  Padma wanted Snape to do something besides just sit there.  She was tired of doing all the work; she wanted something in return.

            She pulled back and, looking directly at him, reached up to unbutton the rest of her shirt slowly.  He blinked, noticing that he had neglected the charm on the door.  With a quick movement of his wrist and a murmur, he had locked it, wondering if it was going to turn out to be such a good idea.  Then, tentatively, he reached forward to assist in the removal of Padma's blouse.

            She pulled her own hand away, allowing him to take control.  She pursed her lips together.  "Can I call you Severus?" she asked meekly.

            He had finished unbuttoning her shirt, his hands now coming into contact with the bare skin of her shoulders.  "If…if you would like."

            Padma shuddered.  "Severus," she smiled.  "It suits you well."

            "So I have been told."

            She raised an eyebrow.  "Oh?"  She found her eyes drawn to his hand laying against the skin just above her bra.

            "Because it so closely resembles the word 'severe,'" he smirked.

            "Oh, of course," she nodded.  "But you're not always so severe, are you?" she leaned forward so their faces were within inches of each other, then she shrugged her shoulders to let the shirt slip away.  She kissed him again.

            Snape returned the kiss hesitantly.

            Padma pulled away.  "What?"

            He frowned.  "I still fear that this will not end well.  I am married.  You are my student."

            She sighed.  "I know.  I'm sorry.  It's just – why not be spontaneous?  Have a spot of fun?  Dr. McKarrick never has to know.  No one does," she replied, leaning in for another kiss.

            He returned the kiss briefly and the pulled away.  "But, I love her.  And I find myself wondering why at the moment I do not care."

            She bit her lip in thought.  "I don't know.  I've never been in love – this – this is just lust, right?"

            "Yes, I believe it is," he smirked.  "Unless you harbor secret emotions I am not aware of."

            Padma shook her head.  "I doubt very much what I feel for you right now is love," she kissed his neck again.  "I just want to touch you and have you touch me and…" she nipped at the skin with her teeth.

            Shuddering, Snape wondered how he would ever get through a sixth year Ravenclaw potions class again.  Padma pulled away again and looked at him.  He gave her a questioning look.

            She shook her head.  "Nothing," she said, running both her hands down his chest to the top of his slacks.

            He grabbed hold of her wrist.  "Tell me.  I do not want you to resent me."

            Padma jumped slightly.  "I won't.  I couldn't.  I just don't want to be the only one of us enjoying this."   

            He looked down.  "I am…wary of enjoying it too much."

            A smile formed on Padma's face at his confession.  "You're not acting like it," she pointed out, squirming a little on his lap.

            Without another word, Snape lifted her up, shoving her back against the desk.  He placed one hand on the wood behind her to prevent her from moving.  In seconds, he was looming over her.  Grabbing the back of Padma's head with his other hand, he pulled her mouth to his powerfully.  Then, upon pulling away, he gasped slightly.  "Now do I?"

            Breathless, she nodded, her eyes wide.  "Better, yes…wow," she managed to sputter out, swallowing hard.

            Snape was breathing heavily, looking a little embarrassed.

            Padma shook her head, trying to gather her wits about her.  "Severus," she whispered, kissing him again, frantically reaching around to rub her hands up and down his back.

            Snape pushed her firmly up against the desk, pressing the full length of his body to hers.  He bit her neck, only this time it was not hard enough to draw blood.  Padma let out a moan, her breathing growing more labored by the second.  She enjoyed this feeling of him on her neck even more than the previous.

            He bit her again, still not drawing blood as all his desire for blood was gone.  This time, he desired something different.  His hips thrust unwillingly ever so slightly against her.  She moaned again and reached down to his pants from behind, pushing them down suddenly.

            "Oh Severus…"

            Now, Snape was down to wearing only grey, silk boxers and rather little else.  He nibbled on Padma's ear.  She sighed against him and pulled away slightly, searching for a kiss while her hands roamed up and down his sides.  "I feel a little overdressed."

            "I agree."

            Padma giggled without meaning to and reached around behind herself to unclasp her bra.  At that precise moment, Snape made the decision that giggling should be outlawed, but his thought was cut short as Padma brought his mouth down to hers again.  While doing so, she peeled her bra off and tossed it aside.  One of Snape's hands slid down her back to find the zipper to her skirt.

            She slipped her hands down his chest to the edge of his boxers, looking down briefly and smirking.  "Well, that answers the sixty-four thousand dollar question then, doesn't it?"

            While Snape was wondering for just a brief instant if there was perhaps some kind of poll going around Hogwarts that he was not aware of, Padma firmly grasped both sides of the silk and tugged at them.  She looked up at him, almost as if waiting for permission to continue.

            Snape froze, his mind going completely blank.

            She caught his eye.  "Prof –" she began, catching herself.  "Severus?"

            His breathing was heavy, and he swallowed, speaking with great difficulty.  "Yes?"

            "I just – I wanted to make sure – I mean…" Padma blushed, averting her gaze from his.

            He reached out and lifted her chin with his hand, forcing her to look directly at him.  "This is up to you.  I will not tell you to do anything."

            "I want this.  I want you.  But you just seemed – I'm sorry," she smiled.  "I'm reading too far into this."  Padma pulled herself away from his hold on her chin and kissed him fervently, pushing his boxers off of his hips in the process.

            Snape moaned slightly, but he kissed her back to mask it.  She kissed him back as well, moving her hands up to wrap around his neck and tilting her head sideways for the best access.  She wanted as much of him as she could get.  Snape, surprisingly, made no move to stop her from doing whatever she wished.

            Padma wanted him to do something more.  "Severus," she kissed his neck, sucking at him, her hands roaming all over his body.  "I –" she looked down between them, her eyes widening.

            Snape's face filled with color, guessing what exactly Padma saw.  She blushed too.  Then, she leaned forward, bringing her mouth to his and kissing him deeply.  She rotated her hips just a bit to move more eye level.  "Please Severus…"

            He was confused.  "What do you want?" he asked.  Not having a large amount of experience with women, save his wife Tyrie, Snape wasn't that aware of the way they talked in regards to certain things.  

            She shook her head.  "Nothing, never mind," she sighed, kissing him yet again and pulling him as close as possible.  

            Padma's hands moved all over Snape's bare skin, igniting the flesh on fire with the simplest of touches.  Snape, having had enough of the taunting, suddenly grabbed her hands in his and stretched them back over her head, holding them there.  He wrenched his lips away from her and replaced them on her neck, biting at the flesh and moving downward, his free hand drawing her skirt from her body.

            She whimpered and shivered at the feel of his mouth on her skin.  Closing her eyes, she arched up into his touch.  Snape tore his mouth away and let go of her hands, using his own to lift himself off of her for only a second.  "Padma," he murmured, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine as he met her mouth in another hot kiss.

            He lowered himself down against her, and together they succumbed to the passion of the moment, beckoning their release.


	3. 3

**Disclaimer:** Same as before. Not mine.

            Some time later, Severus Snape stood, buttoning his shirt, looking even more morose and nervous than normal.  Padma was still seated on the edge of her professor's desk.  She finished with the last button on her own blouse and moved to wrap her blue and gray striped tie around her neck.  She pushed a strand of her hair off her face.  Snape bent down to pick up his robes, his movement cool and calculating, despite his obvious lack of comfort.

            Padma sighed and tied her tie, then reached around to do something with her long hair.  It was sticking out in practically every direction.  Making a face, she marched to the back of the room and reached for her bag, pulling a hair tie out of it and gathering her hair in a sloppy bun at the base of her neck.  As her hand brushed the spot where Snape had bit her, she winced.

            The Potions Master pulled his robes on, straightening them and then fell into his desk chair, slumping down into it.  Padma cast a glance back at him, rubbing at her neck.  She looked away again and went in search of her own robes.  She soon found herself standing behind her professor's desk, and she spotted her robes peeking out from underneath him on the chair.  "Eh, Professor?"

            He blinked, despondent.  "Hm?"

            "My robe, sir," she said.  "You're sitting on it."

            "Oh," he stood, picked up the robe and handed it to her.

            Padma reached for it, their hands touching briefly before she ripped hers away.  "Thanks," she whispered.  Snape seemed almost shocked – literally – by Padma's contact with his hand.  He startled a bit, and then he sat again.  She slipped her robes over her shoulders.  "Professor, I…" her voice trailed off as she stopped and walked back to her bag, reaching for it.

            "Yes?"

            She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders.  "Do you want me to do anything else this evening, sir?"

            Snape didn't know whether he either wanted to laugh or have a nervous breakdown.  "You have done…quite enough for the evening."

            Padma blushed and looked away.  She let out a deep breath and clutched her bag tight against her chest.

            Snape looked up quite suddenly.  "Miss Patil," he looked down again.  "Would you – would you like me to perform a memory charm on you?"

            She let out a dismayed gasp.  "What?!"

            He shook his head, still not looking at her.  "I cannot believe that – that you would truly wish to go through the rest of your life," he frowned, his own self-loathing setting in.  "I will most likely drink some kind of memory potion myself within a few days."

            Padma's face lost all its color.  "Oh, I see," she said, taking a deep breath and trying to bite her tongue.  "Well then," she started again, her voice shaking with subdued anger.  "Professor…I'll be leaving.  If that's all."

            He scowled, almost knowing what she was thinking.  "You must think that this is easy on me Miss Patil. You are wrong. Do you realize that I am twice your age? Do you realize that I will go through every day of class with you wanting to request that you stay after and feeling sick about it at the same time?"

            She looked up at him, obviously surprised, but still upset nonetheless.  "Age doesn't matter professor, you know that.  And...about class...I don't know what to say about that except that I'm sorry.  I won't ever do anything again to warrant myself a detention with you, if that's what you'd prefer," she said, swallowing hard.  "I will come to class, sit in the back, do my work – silently – and then leave."

            "Perhaps age does not matter to you, or to I, but it would matter to those who care about you," he spoke quietly and calmly.  "I would be the monster, not you.  You will never be sullied by this, Padma."

            She shook her head.  "That's not true.  My grandmother was almost twice my grandfather's age," she argued, looking up at him and hoping he wouldn't look away.  "And you're not a monster, no matter what you continually tell yourself."

            "Padma, in some places, were anyone to discover what has happened, I would be put in jail and called a…" he struggled with the word.  "…a pervert," he sighed finally.  "I would not wish for your attitude in class to change.  You know more than you believe you do."

            Her eyes widened at the use of her first name once again.  It sounded so natural rolling off his tongue.  Plus, she was surprised at his compliment.  "I – if it is going to bother you this much, then my attitude will have to change."

            Snape offered her a small smile.  "If I do not recall what happened, there is no problem, is there?"

            She sucked in a breath.  "Then you're really going to use some potion to forget it ever happened," she said quietly.  Padma wanted very much to call her professor a coward or to use some other insult as his 'taking the easy way out,' but she managed to refrain herself.

            He knew what she was thinking once again.  "You think I am a coward.  Miss Patil, I have been one all my life.  Do not chastise me for wishing to remain sane."

            She shook her head.  "You're taking the easy way out.  I can't understand why you'd want to forget it ever happened Professor – Severus.  It did happen.  A lot of things happen that we can't change.  But with just one swallow, or flick of your wrist, it'll all be forgotten.  Erased.  Right?"

            Snape scowled.  "Then what do you suggest I do? Live with severe guilt and self hatred, no matter what you will insist, for the remainder of my life? Never be able to look my wife in the face again? Want this again for the remainder of my days, which, must I remind you, will be awfully long?"

            It had never occurred to her, but she nodded anyway.  "Fine, do whatever you want," she spat, dropping her bag to the floor and walking directly in front of him.  "Perform whatever bloody charm you want," she glared at him.  "If you don't want to remember it, there's not much point in me remembering it either, is there?"

            He glared back.  "What then do you suggest I do?" he hissed very slowly.  "If this is all so simple for you."

            "I don't care," she said back, firmly, through clenched teeth.

            "That, Miss Patil, is an outright lie."       

            "Maybe," she admitted.  "But if you don't care, why should I?" she whipped her wand out and thrust it toward him.  "Perform the charm then Severus.  The only reason you agreed to any of this in the first place was under the pretense that I wouldn't remember a thing, so what's the problem now?"

            Snape pushed her wand away.  "I do care, which is why I know this will haunt me," he sneered.  "Do not be so self deprecating," he was beginning to get angry, and he straightened his back in the chair.  "You only started any of it because you were under the impression that you would not remember it."

            Padma took a step back suddenly.  "I know the smell and taste of potions, professor, like you said, and that one had neither nightshade nor cannabis in it – the only two ingredients that would have caused a memory loss," she explained quietly, the guilt evident in her voice.  "It was you who needed the reassurance," Padma looked away.

            The realization that it had not been him taking advantage of her but really the other way around set in.   He wasn't exactly sure how to deal with the concept.  "Excuse me?"

            Padma bit her lip, not looking at him.  "You heard me," she said quietly.  Then, taking a deep breath, she continued.  "I didn't think that you would do anything with me unless you knew I wouldn't remember any of it."  Tears began building up in her dark eyes.  "I'm a horrid person, Professor, I know that.  I did such a horrible thing," she handed him her wand again.  "You might want to use this then.  It'd be for the best, eh?"

            Snape was utterly and completely confused, and he tried to piece all of this together in his head.  He failed miserably.  "So you…purposefully and knowingly…" he searched for the appropriate word.  "Seduced me?"

            "Yes," she nodded, speaking quietly.  "Yes I did."

            Padma took a deep breath and stood up as straight as she could, putting on a confident face.  Snape's own face twisted into something resembling a mixture of confusion and shock.  "WHY?!"

            With her mouth agape from surprise herself, Padma struggled to find an answer.  "Well –" she opened her mouth, then closed it again.

            "I apologize.  I merely have…difficulty…understand your motivation."

            She looked at him, just as confused as he was, though for the opposite reason.  "Why?"

            He scowled yet again, a tad embarrassed, but still stubborn.  "I am not what would be described as desirable. It remains a mystery to me as to why, suddenly, this year I have been flooded with such...innuendo."

            Padma's eyebrow shot up.  "Not desirable," she blurted out, blushing.  "I hope I proved that wrong this evening…" she continued, a little more quietly.  "Professor, you're brilliant, and mysterious, and –" she blushed again.  "Sexy and – I don't even know!"

            "I apologize for not entirely agreeing."

            "Don't apologize.  It's true.  Why are you so critical of yourself?" she stepped closer to him so that she was right in front of him.

            "I see no reason not to be," he frowned.

            She frowned as well, then sighed.  "So, are you going to get this over with or not?" she offered him her wand once more, hoping that he'd decline for a third time.

            Snape almost reached out and took the wand, but he paused, curious.  "Why do you not wish to forget this?"

            Padma shrugged.  "It was amazing.  You made me feel – wanted.  And I don't regret anything at all…why not just cherish it, you know?"

            He smirked.  "But cherish it as what?"

            She frowned.  "What do you mean?"

            He sighed, fingering his wedding band.  Padma stared at his hand, still confused.  Finally, she tore her gaze from the glint of gold and looked at him.  "I don't know what you mean."

            Snape looked up at her, his black eyes sad.  "I fear…I fear becoming obsessed with the thought of being with you again…"

            Padma let out a sudden gasp of both shock and surprise.  "Professor, I've never felt that way with someone before – that want for contact and that need and the entire intoxicating feel of it.  I just couldn't get enough," she looked down at her shoes.  "I know, I'm not making any sense," she shrugged.  "I just – I just cherished the attention you were giving me.  At home it's always 'Parvati' this and 'Parvati' that…and here it's always Harry and Malfoy and Hermione," she confessed quietly.

            "And you feel as though no one cares for you," he stated flatly.  "That would make two of us."

            She looked at him strangely.  "But you have Dr. McKarrick and Kaya and all your students – I don't understand."

            "My students?" he snorted.  "Heh.  That is a joke.  Have you ever heard one of my students speak well of me? In or out of class?"

            She nodded.  "Yes, yes actually I have."  Snape was obviously surprised.  "You're a brilliant man, Professor.  Wonderful, really.  You don't give yourself near enough credit.  We all respect you, even those who won't admit it."

            He 'hmph'ed.  "Mr. Potter is convinced that I am consistently trying to do him in, and all of his little lackeys agree," he argued.  Padma shook her head, searching for the right words but finding none that could possibly satisfy him.  He sighed.  "I suppose that," he shook the thought away.  "Well, that is not your concern."

            She looked up.  "What?"

            "It is petty and childish."

            Padma spoke straightly and directly, though her voice was quiet.  "So naturally you do not wish to talk about it.  How surprising."

            "To tell you would only result in you respecting me less," he said, looking away.  "Though I find it hard to believe that you do not think less of me already."

            Padma opened her mouth the ask something, then thought better of it and stopped.  Then, she changed her mind.  "Why would I think less of you now?" she reached out to touch him, but she pulled away before making contact.

            Snape gave her an exasperated look.  "Because I, as a thirty-eight year old man, was not able to stop myself from…" he stopped for only a moment, disgusted with himself.  "From having sex with you, a seventeen year old student. I have a responsibility to you and to myself as a professor. Part of that responsibility is to keep our relationship out of the realms of sexuality. I have failed at that."

            She looked down again.  "Actually, I'm sixteen, but that's not the point," she muttered.  "Need I remind you that I was the one doing the seducing?  I didn't leave you much choice – plus you responded, I think, as any normal thirty-eight year old man would."

            "Not a responsible one.  Not one concerned with your welfare."

            She glared at him.  "I am perfectly fine right now.  My 'welfare' had not been tainted in any way that I can see."

            "What if I had been just slightly more lax and had failed to utilize a –" another pause.  "A protection spell?"

            "You mean locking the door, right?  Because I never heard you saying," she stopped, staring at him, her eyes growing wide.  "Did you ever say a contraceptive charm?"  Her professor looked as though he wished he could apparate out of the room at that exact moment.  Padma paled.  "Professor…Severus…you didn't ever say one, did you."  It was more of a statement than anything else.

            "Oh, of course that is entirely my responsibility," he snapped.

            She jumped.  "That's not what I meant.  I just assumed you would, so that is why I didn't – plus by then my wand was halfway across the room. And Merlin knows I can't pull off wandless magic," she backed up suddenly, as if finally realizing the importance of what they were discussing.  Her back hit the desk, and she slowly sunk to the floor, burying her face in her hands.

            Snape grew a little frantic.  "There are ways to correct – er, to fix this."

            Padma was appalled.  "No!"

            He was left dumbfounded.  "What?!"

            "When – no, if that were to happen, Professor, I would never do anything to, as you say, 'fix' the situation."

            He rolled his eyes skyward, wondering why, of all things, Padma chose to be pro-life.  

            "I am assuming that's what you meant, of course."

            "Of course it is!" he snapped again.  "What did you think I meant?"

            Padma shuddered.  "I'm sorry.  I knew that's what you mean – but you did look at me as if I had grown another head when I said no," she sneered, looking away.

            "Do you think that by any stretch of the imagination that it would be good for you to be," he shuddered slightly.  "For you to be pregnant you last year at Hogwarts?  And because of me?"

            "If that were to happen, Professor, I think the decision would be ultimately up to me," she said quietly, looking up at him.  She was still sitting on the ground, hugging her knees up against her chest.  "We shouldn't even be having this conversation right now.  There's just as much a possibility that nothing happened as there is that something did."

            He groaned.  "Feminists," he muttered, shaking his head.  "You are correct.  Best not to think of it.  Though you have, indirectly, gotten your way."

            Padma rolled her eyes, not hearing him.  "Yeah, and while your at it, perform a memory charm on us both so when I wake up and empty the contents of my stomach into the nearest toilet, it'll be like 'oh, surprise! you're pregnant!'" she glared at him, his comment sinking in.  "What the hell do you mean?"

            He took a deep breath, trying to contain his anger.  "We cannot exactly perform a memory charm now, can we?"

            "You were going to before the topic had even been brought up," she retorted.  Snape almost said 'bite me,' but thought better of it.  Padma lifted her head and looked away from him, staring straight out into the middle of the classroom, not speaking at all.

            Snape slumped, his head in his hands.  "Oh Merlin…"

            She didn't respond to even that.  Instead, she let a tear slip down her cheek as she bit her lip.  Suddenly, Snape grew very angry, and he jumped to his feet.  "Bloody hell!" he yelled, punctuating his words by throwing his chair backwards.  It clattered loudly against the floor.

            Padma made no move; she just sat there silently.  Then, she stood up, snatched her bag from the floor, and made a run for the door.  "I'll let you know if anything unexpected comes up, Professor," she said softly, not even turning to look at him.  He was unable to think of a retort.  He just stared at her, his eyes hollow. 

            She stopped at the door, one of her hands sliding up the frame.  "Professor…" she said meekly, slowing turning around for fear of what she'd find when she did so.  "How long does it take to brew a fertility potion?  Or do you already have some bottled up?  I think that would solve the problem quickly, wouldn't it?"

            The Potions Master shook his head, dejected.  "Not long.  An hour maybe?  I may even have some now."

            Padma quietly slipped into a chair in the back of the room next to the door.  "I can wait then."


	4. 4

**Disclaimer:** Same as before. Not mine.

            Professor Snape walked briskly into the storage cabinet, his black robes billowing out behind him.  Padma watched him go.  It was remarkable how much like a bat he looked, and now, of course, Padma knew why.  She subconsciously began rubbing the small welt on her neck where he had bitten her.

            She let out a sigh.  When she had walked into detention earlier that evening, she had had no idea that it would have turned out like this.  Not that she was upset about it though; she wasn't.  It was, quite possibly, the best night of her life.

            Snape returned several minutes later with a small tray of ingredients, including a few leafy herbs and a vial or two.  Padma leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap.  She watched him work.

            He deftly set up his large cauldron, magically lighting a green fire beneath it.  His movements were swift and calculated; he was obviously quite the professional about it.  Padma swallowed hard, her foot tapping against the floor very quietly.  She choked back a cry, reaching up to dry the tears from her cheeks.

            A small amount of water came to a boil.  He looked over at the Ravenclaw and sighed sadly.  "I – I am sorry for all of this."

            She shook her head quietly.  "You have no reason to be sorry.  I have every reason to be," she said.  Then, "Professor?"

            He didn't look up from what he was doing.  "Yes?"

            Padma took a deep breath.  "If you and Dr. McKarrick weren't married…"

            "Yes?" he continued again, wondering where she was going with this line of questioning.

            She tried to choose her words very carefully.  "Would you treat this situation any differently?"

            He let out a small sigh.  "I suppose.  But in what respect do you mean?"

            Her gaze dropped to her hands. "I don't know."

            "Please be frank.  If you have a question, I request that you ask it."

            Padma rolled her eyes.  "Nothing.  Never mind.  It's silly and childish."

            Snape was concentrating on the potion.  "If you have a concern, it would be most healthy if you expressed it.  You cannot expect me to read your mind."

            "No, I don't suppose I can."

            He finally looked away from the bubbling cauldron.  "So?"

            She shook her head, embarrassed.  

            Snape rolled his eyes skyward again.  "Padma, I highly doubt there is anything left for you to be embarrassed about."

            She squirmed in her seat uncomfortably.  "Do you regret shagging me?" she asked quietly, never once looking up from studying her hands.

            "What a lovely way to put it," he frowned.  "If it results in you being pregnant I will."

            "Well, what else would I call it?" she was biting her lip again and not looking up.  "That's what I thought."

            "Won't you?"

            Padma seemed to give it a few seconds' worth of thought.  "I don't know."

            Snape raised an eyebrow.  "You cannot tell me it has always been a goal of yours to carry my illegitimate child.  That would be far too much for one day."

            She laughed quietly.  "No, of course not."

            He breathed a sigh of relief.  "Thank Merlin.  I really would not be able to handle that."

            "I hate children, honestly," she confessed quietly.  "So having any was never really on my list of things to do before I die."  

            Snape almost considered asking why she would refuse an abortion then, but he bit his tongue and continued his work, busying himself with the preparation of the ingredients.  

            "Professor?"

            He was in the process of dumping a vial of unicorn blood compound into the cauldron.  "Hmm?"

            She spoke quietly, almost embarrassed to ask the question.  "If you weren't with Dr. McKarrick, would this ever happen again?" her face flushed.

            "This?  You mean," he waved his hand around, then he understood.  "I do not know.  No matter what I say, I will feel as though I was wrong in saying it."

            Padma swallowed.  "Please, just answer me, for once."

            "I cannot say that I would not want it to happen again now," he said quietly, his expression pained.  "Is that answer enough?"

            She bit her lip and nodded, looking up at him.  "Yes, me too."

            Snape was a bit startled, although he had already assumed as much.  Then, he looked down, blushing, and continued his work on the potion.  Padma let out a breath, swallowing again, and watched him.  He added a tiny bit of powdered poppy flower roots before sighing and stepping away from the cauldron.  "When the smoke coming out of the cauldron becomes blue, I will add the last ingredient.  Then, we must wait for fifteen minutes."

            "Alright," she nodded.

            They fell into a somewhat comfortable silence as the potion settled in its cauldron.  Padma sighed, looking everywhere but at her professor.  He simply stared directly at the cauldron, his hand stroking his chin and his arms crossed.

            Several minutes later, Padma sighed in frustration.  "I have to tell you that I can't stand silence, Professor."

            He nodded.  "Well, to break it, I'll tell you that the final ingredient is a DNA sample from you of some kind.  Whatever you feel would be appropriate to add."

            "Oh.  Does hair work?"

            "Yes," he nodded again.  "As it works with the Polyjuice potion."

            "Right," Padma stood up quietly and approached both the cauldron and her professor.  She tugged at a piece of hair and pulled it out, offering it to him.  He took the strand without a word and continued to watch the cauldron, waiting for the vapors to turn blue.  Padma was growing restless, and she stared intently at the cauldron as well.

            "Is there something you wish to discuss?"

            "Anything, Professor."

            He was still looking at the potion.  "I meant more.  Is there a way I could allay any fears you may have?"

            Padma didn't so much as blink.  "I'm not afraid of anything, Professor.  At the moment."

            "Well then," he said, noticing the vapors turn a light blue color.  Snape dropped the hair into the cauldron, watching as the vapors immediately change to a blood red.

            "How will we know one way or another?"

            He frowned at her.  "You will drink the potion, and, as odd as this sounds, if you go numb from the waist down, then you are…pregnant."

            "Alright," Padma said, taking a deep breath and readying herself.  She sighed and resigned herself to the silence, staring at the brewing potion.  Snape silently wished Padma would say something to break the uncomfortable tension that had settled itself in the classroom.  Sighing again, she snuck a sideways glance at him.  "Is there anything you want to talk about, Professor?  'Cause I'm fresh out of ideas besides saying, 'How 'bout those Yankees?'" she laughed ironically.

            "Yankees?" he asked, confused.  "Americans?"

            She shook her head.  "My cousin is an avid baseball fan.  The Yankees are a team out of New York City."

            "Of course.  I do not understand the predilections towards non-wizarding sports."

            "Neither do I," she agreed.  "Then again, I don't care much for Quidditch either."

            He sighed.  "I did when I played," Snape continued.  "Watching is mundane in comparison."

            Padma was surprised.  "You played Quidditch?" she wondered, looking at him for the first time in minutes.

            "Yes," he said quickly, wondering why everyone is always so surprised by the fact.  "I was Slytherin's seeker."

            "Oh," she nodded.  "That's…nice.  You don't exactly seem the type."

            Almost indignant, Snape responded.  "Why not?"

            "I don't know.  I'm sorry."

            "Oh, it doesn't matter," he waved it off.  "No one really knows," he kept going, muttering.  "They were all too obsessed with James."

            "James?" Padma wondered.  "Oh, Harry's father, right?"

            Snape scowled.  "Yes."

            "Oh, okay," she said as an end to that conversation.  Silence crept in again, and she felt the need to think of something else to ask, if only to get her professor talking again.  "What were you like in school, sir?"

            "Utterly miserable," he laughed sarcastically.

            She let out a long breath.  "Okay…" she decided she had chosen the wrong line of questioning.  "Never mind then," she sighed.  Then, "There's something I've been meaning to ask you, sir," she kept on, looking at him again, hoping that once, just once, he'd meet her gaze again.

            "Yes?"

            "When you bit me…why didn't you just kill me?  And why didn't I become a vampire as well?"

            "I did not kill you because once I kill the first time, it will be a downward spiral. Even in my bloodlust I knew that. And you did not become a vampire because, for you to become a vampire, you would have to drink of my vampiric blood while dangling between life and death…and for you...to be a vampire would not be a good fate."

            She nodded.  "Of course, sir.  I was just….curious.  And confused."

            "The very last thing you need right now is to have to learn to cope with vampirism."

            Padma nodded again, distracted.  "Of course, sir.  I know that," she said, then went silent for a short moment.  "But why did you decide to do that, Professor?"

            "Do what?"

            "Become a vampire."

            Snape looked down.  "I knew that Tyrie was a vampire…and when we decided to marry…I felt it was only appropriate to make such a commitment."

            "You love her then," said Padma quietly.

            He blinked back what might possibly be a tear, though the Potions Master would never admit it.  "Yes…very much."

            Padma felt tears falling down her cheeks.  "And I've gone and mussed everything up," she choked back, swallowing her tears away.  "I really am sorry, sir."

            "I could have stopped you," he responded hollowly.

            She shook her head, not able to think of anything with which to answer.  Wiped hurriedly at her wet cheeks, she tried.  "Why didn't you?

            He furrowed his brow.  "I would like to be able to say that it was as a result of thinking with my instincts…but I am not sure that is the case."

            Padma sucked in a breath.  "Oh.  Well then what –" she stopped suddenly.  Snape frowned, wondering what could possibly be wrong with her besides the obvious.  She tried to choose her words carefully.  "If it wasn't just instinct, what was it?"

            He sighed.  "A conscious decision perhaps?"

            "You know that's not what I meant.  Why must you always be so difficult?"

            "Fine," he said quickly.  "I wanted you Padma, because you are a very attractive young woman.  I was already thinking with my baser instincts when you came on to me, and that only made it easier to do what, in retrospect, I see was amoral."

            She drew in a breath, though she was satisfied with his answer.  First, he called her by her first name once again, and secondly, he actually answered a question.  "You – you think I'm attractive?"

            He gave her a withering look.  "Of course I do.  I would have to be blind or just plain stupid not to."

            Padma was quiet.  Licking her lips, she looked away.  "Oh…I always assumed everyone saw Parvati as the attractive one, and I was just the one with her nose in a book."

            "Well then, if people cannot look beyond a predilection towards books, they are fools."

            She went quiet again.  "Thank you…Professor, is the potion almost ready?"

            "Oh," he slipped up.  "Yes…" he had almost forgotten about it, which signaled that there truly was a first time for everything.  

            Padma nodded.

            Snape extinguished the fire beneath the cauldron magically, and dipped a ladle into it.  He brought it out and poured it into a mug.  He held it out to Padma.  "You may wish to wait a moment."

            She nodded, reaching out and wrapping one hand around the mug, on top of her professor's.  She looked up at him.  He slipped his hand out from under hers and caught her eye for only a moment before looking away.  "Well, whenever you are ready."

            Padma's hands started shaking.  "Professor, what will happen if – if I am pregnant?"

            "Apparently that is for you to decide," he said sharply, annoyed at having to revisit an earlier conversation.

            "Oh, right.  I forgot.  We talked about that already.  I'm sorry," she rambled, obviously stalling from having to drink the potion.  "A lot of things are going on in my mind right now."

            "Any you wish to share?"

            She looked up at him.  "Just the fact that I may be pregnant not enough for you?"

            Snape scowled.  "I was attempting to be…kind," now he sneered.  "Forgive me."

            Padma looked down, shaking her head.  "Here goes nothing…" she lifted the mug to her lips and swallowed it in two gulps.  Then, she handed him the now empty mug.  Snape took the mug and just stared at Padma, waiting.  

            Padma licked her lips to catch the few drops of the potion that lingered.  "What?" she asked, looking up at her professor, who was staring intently at her.

            He blinked and turned away.  "Nerves," muttered Snape.

            "When will I know?" Padma asked curiously.  She began to feel a slight tingling in her legs.

            "Soon enough, I suppose.  No more than an hour."

            Padma nodded, swallowing hard as she realized that she was beginning to lose feeling in her legs, and the numbness was rising up to her waist.  "So, if I don't feel any change, then I'm not pregnant, right?"

            He nodded shortly.  "Yes.  I did explain that, correct?"

            "Yes, you did," she seemed very much distracted.  "This could take as long as an hour?" she continued, concentrating very hard on keeping her balance.  Everything below her waist was completely numb.

            "It should take no longer," said Snape, folding his arms across his chest.

            Padma nodded.  "Alright," she said, refusing to move.  Even one step, she feared, would cause her to fall, and that was the last thing she wanted.  She had made her decision, and she was sticking to it.  Professor Snape could never know.  All of a sudden, the numbness disappeared, and she regained feeling in her legs.  "Nothing yet, sir," she shrugged, looking up at him.  She took a step backward on shaky legs and began to pace the room.

            Snape frowned.

            Padma stopped, turning to look at her professor.  "Why are you frowning? I thought you'd be happy that it appears I'm not pregnant."

            "There is still time to be proven wrong."

            She sighed.  "I suppose so.  What do we do while we wait?"

            "Is there anything you wish to do?" he asked.  "You can always go back to the Ravenclaw common room."

            Padma raised an eyebrow suggestively.  "Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"

            "Do I?"

            She simply shrugged and hopped up onto the front desk, swinging her legs back and forth childishly.  Snape was glad to note that she could feel her legs.  The rest of the hour was spent encased in silence.

            After casting a glance at the clock on the wall, Snape looked over at Padma.  "You felt no changes?

            She shook her head.  "None at all."

            "You are sure."

            "Yes, sir.  I'm absolutely fine," she stressed again.

            Snape let out a small sigh of relief.  "Well then, do you wish to return to your room?"

            "Of course, that would be for the best," said Padma, sliding down off of the desk.  "Congratulations then, sir.  You have nothing at all to worry about," she gave him a sad smile, walking to the back table to retrieve her bag.  "Good night, sir."

            She stopped silently at the door again and turned around to look at her professor, hoping to meet his gaze.  He looked up at the same time, and their eyes met.  Padma pushed back the tears in her eyes.  Snape sighed, stood from his position behind his desk and walked up to her, embracing her.  Padma wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his robe.  She held back the tears and prayed to whoever was up there listening that her professor couldn't tell that she was lying.

            Snape stroked her hair, thinking that she regretted the entire evening.  Or, at least, felt guilty about it.  "Padma…if you wish for me to have you forget all of this now…"

            She pulled away, blinking.  Looking up into his eyes, she shivered slightly at their nearness.  "Uh – no, thank you," she swallowed away the tears.  "I – I don't think that'd by such a great idea – I mean, I don't want to forget any of this."

            He frowned at her, a little confused.  "But then…what is upsetting you?"

            Padma shook her head, blinking back the tears again.  "Nothing.  I'm not upset," she said again, almost as a reassurance to herself.  "Not at all."

            "You are lying, Padma."

            She met his gaze, trying to hold it and still sound truthful and confident.  "Are you going to take a potion to forget it happened?

            He looked away.  "If you do not, I do not think it would be prudent."

            "Oh," said Padma, looking away as well and clearly not expecting that answer.  "Well then…" she removed her arms from around him reluctantly.

            He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.  "Are you sure that you are alright?"

            She nodded.  "Yes, I'm fine," Padma's eyes traveled to stare at his hand resting on her shoulder.  "I just assumed that you would take the potion is all," she continued, shaking her head.

            "I cannot very well go through the year wondering why you are acting so differently in class, now can I?"

            She sighed.  "Oh yes…the rest of the year.  Of course.  I suppose not."

            "I might feel the need to report it to someone," Snape smirked.

            Padma was clearly distracted.  "Huh?"

            "Nothing," he shook his head.  "It is of no concern."  Snape studied Padma's face very carefully.  "Are you sure that you are alright?" he asked again, knowing for certain that something else was going on in her head.

            Her face paled.  "Yes, I'm just tired," she said, reaching up to push a strand of hair behind her ear.

            Snape wasn't convinced.  "Of course."

            Padma bit her lower lip and looked down at her feet.  "Well, good night, Professor.  I'll see you in class tomorrow, I'm sure," she said, biting back to urge to say something entirely different.  

            Snape wanted to stop her from leaving, but chose not to press the issue at hand any further.  The Ravenclaw leaned up, letting her eyes drift shut, and kissed her professor on the corner of the mouth, fighting the desire to let more happen, but knowing it never will again.

            The Potions Master leaned forward and kissed her softly on the forehead.  "Please do not make this harder than it already is going to be," he requested quietly.

            Padma nodded, a little hurt.  "Of course," she agreed, backing away just a step.  "Good night, Severus."

            "Good night…Padma."

            She nodded, turning to the door and opening it just a little.  Then, she walked out.  After making it only a few steps away from the now closed door, Padma paused, looking back over her shoulder.  "I'm so, so sorry, Severus," she whispered quietly, letting tears trickle down her cheeks once again.  She continued down the corridor.

            Severus Snape watched Padma walk away, and then, without a word, walked back up to his desk and slumped down into a seated position on it, his eyes fixed at the wooden door she had just walked out of.


End file.
